The Green Bay Packers will be without safety Charles Woodson for the next six weeks, after he fractured his collarbone against the Rams on Sunday.
If this comes as a surprise, it should. Woodson played almost all of the Packers defensive snaps on Sunday.
Although he isn’t having one of his usual Hall-of-Fame caliber years, Woodson is still the backbone of the Packers defense. He had five tackles on Sunday and has 38 on the year. He also has 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and an interception. Those aren’t great numbers for Charles Woodson, but they’re better numbers than either of his backups have ever put up.
The Packers will either turn to M.D. Jennings or rookie Jerron McMillian to replace Woodson in the starting lineup. Both have already seen extensive action this season because Woodson moves to cornerback in the Packers nickel package and either Jennings or McMillian replace him at safety.
This will probably also mean more Casey Hayward and Davon House in sub-packages, where someone will have to step in for Woodson at corner.
The good news is this, the Packers face Jacksonville and Arizona at home before they have their bye week. So, essentially, they have three bye weeks in a row. Their post-bye schedule is tougher — at Detroit, at the Giants, and Minnesota at home.
Hopefully, these young guys will get some good experience against a couple patsies before they really get tested.